District Shuffle: Part 3 - Girls athletics receive competitive boost

Brad Milner | News Herald Writer

Wednesday

Jul 17, 2013 at 12:01 AMJul 17, 2013 at 4:09 PM

It’s been five years since Mosley’s girls basketball team advanced to the regional tournament and Coach Steve Canfield sees an opportunity for the drought to end in a few months. Of course, other Bay County teams will have a say in that endeavor.

It’s been five years since Mosley’s girls basketball team advanced to the regional tournament and Coach Steve Canfield sees an opportunity for the drought to end in a few months. Of course, other Bay County teams will have a say in that endeavor.

Mosley’s girls athletic teams, many of which have been successful in higher classifications, will now test most of Bay County with a move down in basketball, soccer, softball and volleyball. Mosley also will be among county schools in girls golf, but will continue to compete against Pensacola and Tallahassee area schools in other sports such as cross county, tennis and track and field.

The Dolphins last moved past the girls basketball district stage in 2008-09 when they played in Class 5A, then the state’s next-to-highest classification. They return to 5A in 2013-14 after spending four years in District 2-6A with Niceville, Crestview, Fort Walton Beach and Choctawhatchee.

Choctawhatchee also moved to 5A to join Bay County schools in the quest for District 1 supremacy. Girls basketball, softball and volleyball have identical alignments with Arnold, Bay, Choctaw, Gulf Breeze, Mosley and Rutherford completing six-team fields.

Canfield has coached basketball at Mosley for 10 seasons and volleyball for seven. Signs are positive for a run at a playoff spot given Mosley’s success in county games in both sports.

Mosley has won the county girls basketball title in eight of his 10 seasons. The Dolphins were unbeaten against county opponents last season when Rutherford won its first district title in 1-5A. Mosley lost to Choctaw twice and didn’t play Gulf Breeze last year, but other county teams fared well against the westward Dolphins.

The alignment change, which came after the school appealed the early districts structure, not only will give Bay County teams a more competitive slate but also will reduce travel. Mosley made four trips every season in District 2-6A and also did so for tournaments. The first round of district realignment had Mosley in 1-6A with seven other teams, including six from the Pensacola area.

“That was the biggest thing about us appealing,” Canfield said. “Initially we were in a district where we’d have to travel to Pensacola six times (and Fort Walton Beach once) and that kind of travel is astronomical.

“Now our out-of-district competition is lighter, too. We don’t have Pensacola and Pace and Washington or (Tallahassee schools) Leon and Lincoln. It’s a different world and will be exciting.”

Canfield’s confidence in volleyball is more substantial given the team’s success. It was able to forge past Niceville two years ago, but the Eagles have provided a major stumbling block that has been too much for teams to traverse. Gulf Breeze takes Niceville’s place as the top team in 1-5A.

Mosley hasn’t lost a county match in volleyball in Canfield’s tenure. Arnold and Gulf Breeze were the top teams in 1-5A last season. Mosley will challenge the Marlins’ five-year consecutive regional playoff streak.

“Us, Gulf Breeze and Arnold are the top three in our district,” Canfield said. “One of our teams is gonna be pretty good by the end of the year. We believe the winner of our district can get to the state finals.”

Mosley softball coach Brian Wilke shares the sentiment. His Dolphins were a win away from the Final Four in 6A, falling to eventual state champion Lake City Columbia in a regional title game highlighted by umpire decisions that took away two runs from Mosley.

Like volleyball, Mosley softball will contend with an Arnold team that has been one of the best in the county in recent years with the Marlins moving on to their first regional final in 2012. Rutherford won 1-5A and made it to the regional semifinal this spring and Bay’s program is emerging. Last season’s district runner-up, Pensacola West Florida Tech, moved down to 4A to join a four-team group that also includes Marianna.

Mosley will add a program that advanced to its first regional final in 2013. The loss still stings with Wilke, but he said it serves as a lesson in how close the Dolphins were and how much improvement is needed to get to that point.

“You never know what’s going to happen when you get there and we were one run away from the Final Four,” Wilke said. “That’s where we want to be every year.”

Mosley softball also will avoid Niceville, which has set the tone in the sport. The Eagles don’t lose often, as their regional semifinal loss to Mosley was the first in four meetings between the teams and only the second of the season. The absence of Niceville doesn’t give Wilke false optimism, however.

The county slate looms large, especially with the district implications. The eventual county champion will be positioned higher than the rest with Choctaw and Gulf Breeze, which has dipped in recent seasons, the last steps toward a title.

“There are teams in our district that are formidable foes so there will still be obstacles,” Wilke said. “If you’re the best in the county you could be up there in the top two of the district. This sets the bar high for us.”

It also helps the rest of the county, Wilke said. Schools have long compared themselves and strived to be better even while playing in different classifications. The increased emphasis on rivalries for more than just a county title will trickle into each program.

“I’m hoping it makes everyone better, challenge all of us.” Wilke said. “You always want to play the best people, whether it’s our district or county. You have a good measuring stick and one within reason for traveling.”

Travel will be less for county teams in basketball, volleyball, softball and soccer. Six of the 10 district games in basketball, volleyball and softball will be played in-county and there’s a good chance the tournament will be held at a county school at least once in the cycle. Soccer teams will not travel outside of the county with a four-team group of Arnold, Bay, Mosley and Rutherford in 2-3A that also will feature the district tournament in the Panama City area.

Many Mosley teams will keep former 2-6A opponents on the schedule. That will require a little more travel, but it will amount to less over the course of the season due to the new districting.

Canfield expects to see a rise in attendance at home games as well. The fact each outcome impacts district positioning will create a buzz that has been missing in past years.

“All our county games in the past have been big, the girls take county seriously,” Canfield said. “Now it’s double, it’s good for the county. There’s a lot more weight on it. It’s more than just a county championship it’s about the district and the playoffs.”

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